Silent Night, Haunted Night

by Terri Garey

  “Oh, I know,” he said with a wicked grin. Pressing his advantage, he went on, “I suppose I should be flattered that you’d go this far to get my attention.”

  “Yes,” she said, seizing on to his words. “That’s exactly it! I was only trying to open your eyes, darling.” Shooting me a venomous glance, she added, “She’s not worthy of your magnificence.”

  I opened my mouth to speak, but Sammy swung around, pinning me in place with blue eyes made of ice. “No,” he said dismissively. “She’s not.”

  Shut up, be quiet, and let me save your life, those eyes said, and I decided to listen.

  On the other side of the couch, Selene relaxed, going so far as to rest a hip against it, trailing her fingers along the velvet fabric. “What’s to be done about her, then? Her boyfriend is entirely my creature, though I can’t say I’ve gotten much enjoyment from him yet.”

  “I’m not surprised,” Sammy said, with a little grin meant just for me. It gave him secret pleasure to hear Joe maligned in the sack, I’m sure. “It was your tears, I presume?”

  She laughed, anger all but forgotten. “Yes. It began when he gave poor Mary mouth-to-mouth, of course; she made sure to get some of her own breath into his lungs, and Katie made sure to cry pitifully against the skin of his neck, paving the way for me. Mary’s so-called death gave me the perfect excuse I needed to weep my heart out all over his shirt. He was no match for me after that.”

  My brain went numb. Mary’s breath? Katie’s tears?

  Sammy turned away, so I couldn’t ask him, but I felt as if I’d been given a gift. A reason why Joe had turned from me so suddenly.

  “You are clever,” he told her. “Perhaps I should’ve tried that with this one”—meaning me—“and saved myself a good deal of trouble.”

  Selene eyed me speculatively, as though as I were an object she considered buying, and said, “It’s not outside the realm of possibility.” Looking him in the eye, she gave him a slow, sexy smile. “Give me a few moments, and I can get her to do anything you like…how does a threesome sound?”

  My breath caught as Sammy made an appreciative noise, deep in his throat.

  The bastard was truly enjoying this.

  “It sounds too delicious for words,” he said, in a voice that made my knees weak. “Some other time. Right now I’m only interested in one woman.” He moved toward her, reaching out a hand, and she slid hers into it, eyes gleaming with pleasure at his nearness. “And that would be you.”

  She glided into his arms with a satisfied smile. He pulled her close, holding her loosely at the waist.

  “How could I have forgotten how beautiful you are?” he murmured, and she melted. In two seconds she was draped all over him, and he gave every appearance of enjoying it. His hands were everywhere, squeezing and smoothing. “It’s been far too long.”

  I stood there and watched, speechless, as he lowered his head and kissed her, passionately, right in front of me, while she moaned and wiggled and pressed closer in his arms.

  Blechh .

  Convinced the roiling in my gut was nausea and not jealousy, I looked away, wondering if I dared make a break for it. I could run back out the way I’d come, out the back door and through the neighbor’s yard.

  And go where?

  It didn’t matter. Anything was better than standing here and listening to the noises Selene was beginning to make, noises that told me Sammy was touching her in places better left private.

  I turned to go, but Sammy’s voice stopped me.

  “Let’s go somewhere more comfortable, darling,” he said huskily to Selene. “I know a lovely rooftop garden in Istanbul. The moon should be full to bursting tonight.”

  “Mmmm,” she purred, “sounds just like old times.”

  He laughed, low and husky, and I couldn’t help but look at him again, my eyes drawn to his blond head, the masculine lines of his face, taut with desire. He’d turned Selene so her back was to me, pressing her against the couch, lean hips hard against the vee of her thighs.

  My breath caught in my throat as he looked up over her shoulder, blue eyes burning, to see me watching. “I’ve learned my lesson,” he said, nuzzling her neck, while never taking his eyes off me. “I should never have neglected you for so long. Why settle for hamburger when you can have caviar, mm?”

  I didn’t dare make a sound, but my eyes widened. Had I just been compared to hamburger?

  Smoothing Selene’s dark hair away from her neck with one hand, he curled his lip in amusement at my reaction, and I knew the cut had been deliberate.

  “Oh, darling,” she breathed, tilting her head back to allow him greater access to her neck, “I knew you’d come to see things my way.”

  “Some things are inevitable,” he murmured, grazing her skin with his lips as he spoke. His eyes were still locked on mine, and I knew he was sending me a message. “It’s never over until it’s over, is it?”

  “No,” she said, gasping. She had her hands twisted in his shirt, ready to rip it off him at any moment.

  “And the girl?” He finally drew her attention back to me, stroking the line of her neck with one finger.

  She shuddered at his touch, eyes half closed as she shot me a careless look. “What about her?”

  “You’ll leave her alone?” He watched her now, trailing his finger over her lips. “No more fits of jealous rage?” he murmured, leaning in to brush his cheek against hers. “No more attempting to force my hand?”

  “Only here, my darling,” she whispered, rubbing herself against him shamelessly. He held himself still, and let her, but said nothing.

  “All right,” she gasped, grasping frantically at his shoulders, which remained unmoving. “Whatever you want, just—”

  I never heard the rest of that sentence. There was a loud pop, like a fuse being blown, and both Sammy and Selene disappeared. A sizzle, and a noxious smell, like burned hair, lingered.

  I hope it singed her eyebrows.

  Stunned, shaken, and more than a little confused, I stood there in my living room, looking around at the destruction.

  Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, indeed.

  CHAPTER 23

  By seven o’clock that evening I’d reclaimed my house and set everything to rights. I’d lost several porcelain snowmen to Selene’s spite, but most were intact. There was a dent in the wall where she’d thrown the snow globe, and a new scratch on the coffee table. I’d thrown an afghan over the back of the couch where she’d touched it, until I could have the fabric cleaned. It was one of my favorite pieces of furniture, and I wasn’t going to let the image of her leaning against it force me to get rid of it.

  Two of a kind. I should’ve known—they deserved each other.

  The room was cleaner than it had been all week, and I was still full of energy. I needed something else to clean, so I started on the rest of the house.

  I didn’t want to think about where Sammy might be or what he might be doing. I didn’t want to think about Joe, and where he was, and wonder if Selene’s poisonous crocodile tears would ever wear off. I didn’t want to think about Angie, and whether she’d gone into the Light, and I didn’t want to think about the face that had leered at me from within the Darkness in the shed.

  So I just kept polishing what I could polish, and scrubbing what I could scrub, until hunger made me call for a pizza delivery around eight.

  That’s what I was expecting when the doorbell rang at eight-thirty. But when I looked through the peephole, there stood Joe.

  I wasn’t ready yet. Oh God, I wasn’t ready.

  And yet I could no more stop myself from opening that door than I could stop earth from spinning on its axis.

  He looked drawn, and tired. So tired. Joe always stood tall, like a hero, but tonight he was slump-shouldered and weary.

  It was all I could do not to open my heart as quickly as I’d opened my door, but I didn’t. “Hey,” I said stiffly, leaving explanations up to him.

  Poison or no poison, I
’d been hurt, and the wound was deep. And still fresh.

  “Can I come in?” he asked, and I almost didn’t let him. I almost said no and closed the door, because in a way it would be better. It would be better if I just said good-bye to Joe right now, and finished working my way through the pain, because he was a great guy who didn’t deserve someone like me. He didn’t deserve to be hounded by evil spirits, no matter how gorgeous they were, and he didn’t need to be put through the emotional wringer every time he turned around. Most of all, he didn’t deserve a girl who lusted for someone else, even if only in her heart.

  So I almost said no, but I didn’t.

  “Come in.” I stepped back and let him in, nervous suddenly. What if he’d just come over to get his stuff? The bag was still in the closet…

  “What’s happened to us, Nicki?” He hadn’t taken more than a few steps before turning to face me. “Are you seeing another guy? Tell me the truth.”

  Surprise nearly made me laugh, but I didn’t. I’d expected an apology, confusion, disorientation maybe. He was the one who’d been under a spell, not me, and I’d assumed we were about to go from there.

  Instead he was demanding an explanation, as if I’d done something wrong.

  Which I had. I should never have let Sammy get close enough to even think of kissing me that night in the car. For everything else, I had no regret, because I’d needed Sammy to fix things. Joe would never be free of Selene if Sammy hadn’t gotten involved—he wouldn’t be here right now, in fact.

  “No, I’m not seeing anyone,” I answered honestly. “I never was. Lee is my mechanic, and everything I’ve ever told you about Sammy is true.” And then some.

  “I want to believe you,” he said, looking into my eyes. “But I know there’s something between you two, something you’re not telling me.”

  I could see the pain in his gaze. I tried to meet it, but failed, and was the first to look away.

  “You have feelings for him, even though you know he’s bad news. It’s in the air, every time you’re near him.”

  “I—” I couldn’t bring myself to confirm or deny it, unable to choose between “sick and twisted,” or “liar.”

  He swept a hand over his eyes, making a noise of frustration. “I’ve tried to ignore it, tried to tell myself that I was imagining things.” He turned and strode into the living room, hands on his hips. “I thought that I could prove to you, over time, that I would always be there for you, that you could trust me, that I was the better choice.”

  Tears prickled, but I blinked them back. “Joe—”

  “You’ve been so angry with me lately, so jealous and quick to accuse,” he went on, raking a hand through his hair. “Were you trying to drive me away so you could be with him?”

  I realized that Joe’s version of recent events, while entirely different from my own, had some validity. I’d been in a jealous snit over Selene since the moment she appeared on the scene.

  “No, it wasn’t like that. I told you I was only with him to get some information out of him, and that’s the truth.”

  “And yet you claim he’s the Devil himself.”

  “He is.”

  “Must’ve been some pretty important information.”

  I held his gaze this time. “It was.”

  “Do you love him?”

  This question, I could answer honestly. “No,” I said. Whatever I felt for Sammy, it was not love.

  I could see the relief in his eyes. His face grew earnest, intent. “I’m glad. Because if you did, it would kill me.”

  There was a silence, in which I realized I was trembling. I wasn’t sure how much more I could take today.

  “I can’t eat,” Joe murmured, staring at my face. “I can’t sleep.” His eyes roved over my hair. “I can’t work.” He took a step closer. “I do nothing but lie on the couch and think of you, and I am utterly, totally miserable.”

  Tears blurred my vision.

  “Please come back to me, Nicki,” he said softly. “I’m sorry. I miss you so much.”

  The pain of the last few days was still there, throbbing and aching between my breasts.

  “You broke my heart,” I said, voice cracking.

  “I know I did,” he whispered, taking another step. “I’m so sorry. I think…” He hesitated. “…I think I was afraid you were about to break mine.”

  Clever, clever Selene. Work on someone’s worst fear and turn it to your advantage.

  I was crying now, openly, because that was exactly what she’d done to me. “What if…what if it happens again?” I held out a hand to ward him off, but he took it instead, wrapping his warm fingers over mine.

  There was bound to be more spiritual mayhem in my life, and Joe would always be an obvious target. Could I survive losing him the next time, or the time after that?

  “Trust me,” he murmured, tugging me gently in his direction. “I won’t mess things up again. You’re special and you’re wonderful and you’re a huge pain in the ass.” A smile lurked at the corner of his lips when he said it. “The most beautiful pain in the ass I’ve ever seen,” he added. He had me by both hands now, making me face him. “You’re as vital as the air I breathe.” Cupping my face in his hands, he drew me closer. “I can’t go back, Nicki. I can’t go back to the man I was when you met me.”

  “Dr. Joe was a very dull boy,” I said faintly, through my tears.

  “He was, wasn’t he?” He pulled me closer, sliding his arms around my waist.

  Mine came up to circle his neck, as if they had a mind of their own.

  “Never a dull moment when I’m with you,” he said low, beneath his breath, and then he kissed me, and nothing else mattered in the world except the feel of his lips, the way he smelled, the way he felt in my arms.

  And now that he was there, back where he belonged, I held on to him, tight, scared to death he’d break my heart again someday—or I’d break his—but knowing that either way, it was worth the risk.

  The moon shone full over a rooftop garden. A man stood there, looking out over a city awash in moonlight. He was naked, shadows moving across his shoulders and back as the night breeze moved the potted palms that lined the roof.

  “Yes, it’s a dream,” he said to me, without turning his head. “It seems to be the only way we can communicate these days.”

  “You saved me,” I said softly, staying well away from him. I could smell exotic spices, the faint perfume of flowers. A tub of roses sat near my feet, but the blooms held no color, everything washed in the silver-gray of moonlight. “Why?”

  Sammy turned, leaning against the balustrade. His bare chest was beautiful, smooth and hairless, sculpted muscle caressed by shadow. “I have no idea.”

  “Liar.”

  He laughed softly, cocking his head to watch me, where I stood among the flowers. “Does it matter, little Nicki? A whim, an impulse…” He shrugged. “Perhaps I just have a weakness for strong-willed women.”

  “You didn’t want to go with her.” I had no idea where my words were coming from, but I was certain of the truth of them. “You still hate her for what she did to you.” The Fall. The loss of his innocence. The loss of grace.

  “There’s a very thin line between love and hate,” he murmured. “Haven’t you figured that out yet?”

  I said nothing, feeling the loneliness he carried reach out to me across the space that separated us. It was his burden to bear, not mine, but I found myself wishing I could ease it, just a little bit.

  A breeze rose, setting the potted palms rustling, one brushing my arm with the lightest of touches. I looked down, and to my surprise, I was nude also. With the realization came acceptance—I felt no shame, being here on this quiet rooftop with him.

  I thought of Joe, and knew that on some level of my consciousness, he lay beside me, warm and alive. He’d be waiting there for me when I woke up, to offer me a cup of coffee and a loving touch. I hoped he would be there always, until the day one of us died.

  But right
now I was here, adrift in a world all its own, made of shadows and palms and moonlight. I should feel guilty, terrible for the pleasure I took in it, but I didn’t.

  That confused me for a moment, until he said, “No need for confusion.” He came toward me, hand outstretched. “And no need for guilt.” His body, half hidden by shadows, revealed itself as he came closer. He was perfect, and beautiful, an angel cast in God’s own image, then cast down to suffer, with sinners like myself.

  “People can’t help what they dream,” he murmured, taking my hand. “And this is my dream, not yours.”

  CHAPTER 24

  “Nicki, wake up.”

  Something soft went around my shoulders, enveloping me in warmth, though until that moment, I hadn’t realized I was cold.

  “Wake up, baby,” Joe said gently, the weight of his arm settling around my shoulders as well, pulling me back into the real world.

  I swayed, blinking in confusion as I opened my eyes to find myself in the living room. In front of me was the window, moonlight slanting through the blinds. “What the—?” My tongue felt thick, my brain like mush. “What’s going on?”

  I looked around, searching for the plants and flowers I’d been surrounded by a moment ago, but there was nothing except the fake poinsettias I’d set out when I’d rearranged my snowman collection.

  “You were dreaming,” Joe murmured, not letting go of my shoulders. The warmth I’d felt was an afghan, the one I’d draped over the back of the couch earlier.

  I clutched at it, dragging it around me as the cool air in the room touched the bare skin of my stomach and thighs.

  I was naked.

  “Come sit down.” Joe led me to the couch, steadying me as I nearly stumbled, still dazed.

  “I’m sorry, I—”

  “Shh,” he said, settling himself next to me. “It’s okay.”

  We sat there in silence for a moment, as my brain caught up with the reality of the situation. I’d been dreaming, and the things I’d been doing in my dream made my cheeks heat. The hall light was on, but the living room was mostly dark, so I was hoping Joe couldn’t see my face.